These keto Baklava Cookies capture the flavors of baklava in a tiny bite. With walnuts, pistachios, cinnamon, and a sugar-free glaze scented with lemon zest they will be the perfect substitute to the traditional sugar-laden pastry. This delicious pastry recipe is low carb, keto, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
My maternal grandfather was Greek and I grew up celebrating Greek Easter and eating baklava and stuffed grape leaves. I have many happy memories of going to my Great Aunt Alice’s house. The smell of roast lamb and potatoes would engulf me as I walked through the door. She lived in a town on the ocean, only a couple blocks from the beach, so that smell combined with the saltwater smell was irresistible.
It’s been many years since she passed on and my grandparents too. It’s been too long since we celebrated Greek Easter. My cousin decided to revive that tradition this year and I was more than happy to join in.
I volunteered for baklava duty since I have made it many times over the years and I had phyllo in the freezer already. The other reason was that I knew I could make myself an alternative at the same time. Many of the ingredients are the same but my version is based on my Pecan Tassies.
Is Baklava Keto?
Typical recipes for traditional baklava are not keto. That’s why I was bound and determined to make my own version of these baklava cookies that I could happily enjoy when eating low carb. Thankfully, they turned out amazing, and that’s why I wanted to share them with you.
Almond flour and coconut flour replace the traditional flour that’s normally in baklava. If you eat low carb, you are going to be thankful to welcome these amazing cookies into your kitchen. Actually, even if you don’t eat low carb, they are pretty darn addictive!
A note on honey: Traditional baklava uses honey to sweeten it. I really wanted these to have a hint of honey flavor. I looked online for sugar-free honey, honey extract, honey oil, etc. but could not find a decent substitute. I ultimately decided to use a small amount of raw, organic honey in this recipe. Each cookie gets ⅛ teaspoon of honey. This equals less than 1 gram of carbs in each cookie from the honey. It is optional. They are sweet enough without it.
How to Make Baklava Cookies
First Step: Preheat oven to 350. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
Second Step: Mix the dough ingredients in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon. If the butter and cream cheese is room temperature they mix easily.
Third Step: Divide into 24 pieces and press into the holes of a mini muffin tin. Use a tart tamper, an upside-down measuring teaspoon, or your fingers.
Fourth Step: Combine the nuts and cinnamon. Divide between the prepared mini muffin tin.
Fifth Step: Bake for 20-22 minutes until the dough is golden. Cool to room temperature.
Sixth Step: While the cookies are baking, make the syrup. Combine the sweetener, water, lemon zest, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low until it simmers. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Final Step: Drizzle the syrup over the cookie cups. If using the honey spoon ⅛ of a teaspoon over each. Remove from the muffin tin and enjoy!
Tips For Making Homemade Baklava Cookies:
When it comes to making this easy keto baklava recipe, there isn’t a lot you need to worry about. It’s an incredibly easy recipe to make, tastes awesome, and doesn’t need lots of effort or fancy tools. I wanted to point out just a couple of tips to help you out along the way.
- Use butter and cream cheese that is room temperature. It’s incredible how much effort you can save by following this one little step. If you are ina hurry and don’t have time to set it to be room temperature, you can always toss them in the microwave for a few seconds. Don’t let them melt, or they will be too hot. When using room temperature butter and cream cheese, you will find that it’ mixes in so easily.
- There is no need to overmix the batter. No one wants cookies that are dry or dense, and when you stir the dough too much, you risk this happening. Just stir until the ingredients are incorporated, and you will be good to go.
- Keep an eye on the cookies, so you don’t overbake them. If you do, they will become harder and not as good. Usually, 20-22 minutes is perfect. Every oven is different, so you may need to test your oven temperature to make sure it’s accurate. If not, make adjustments to ensure you are baking them at 350 degrees.
- A mini muffin pan gives you the perfect size of cookies. This will result in you have 24 keto baklava cookies per batch. So they are ideal for cookie exchanges or whenever you are looking for something special for a crowd. You can use a full-sized muffin tin, but you will need to adjust the baking time.
What Nuts Are Best In These Keto Baklava Cookies?
I always use a combination of walnuts and pistachios when I make these keto baklava cookies. The flavor of the two is fantastic, and I love the texture and color it gives the baklava cookies. You could also use pecans if you wanted. While I use ½ cup of walnuts and ¼ pistachios, you could easily adjust that to your liking. As long as you don’t go over ¾ cup per batch, it doesn’t matter which nuts you go with.
What’s The Best Way To Store Baklava?
Thankfully, this keto baklava is very versatile! You can store it in the refrigerator or on the counter. The baklava cookies last for 2-3 days on the counter or 5-7 days in the fridge. It’s important to keep them in an airtight container and away from moisture. Typically, any food storage container with a tight-fitting lid or even a sealed food storage bag will work.
If you want the low carb baklava cookies to last even longer, then put them in the freezer! They will last for several months and can be enjoyed anytime you get a craving for them. Once again, you will need to keep them airtight to prevent them from going bad. It’s a good idea to keep them out of the door of the freezer, so they don’t defrost a little each time the door opens.
To defrost the cookies, simply place them in the fridge overnight or set them on the counter for a few hours until they seem thawed. Then dig in and munch on them until they are gone.
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Ingredients
Pastry Dough:
- 3 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 oz butter softened
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- ⅓ cup ground golden flax (or additional almond flour)
- 1 egg yolk
Nut Filling:
- ¾ cup chopped nuts I used ½ cup walnuts and ¼ cup pistachios
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Syrup:
- ½ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3 one inch pieces of lemon zest
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 teaspoon honey optional, see note below
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray a mini muffin tin very well with cooking spray or use aluminum liners.
- Mix the dough ingredients in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon. If the butter and cream cheese are room temperature they mix easily. Divide into 24 pieces and press into the holes of a mini muffin tin. Use a tart tamper, an upside-down measuring teaspoon, or your fingers.
- Combine the nuts and cinnamon. Divide between the prepared mini muffin tin. Bake for 20-22 minutes until the dough is golden. Cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, make the syrup. Combine the sweetener, water, lemon zest, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low until it simmers. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
- Drizzle the syrup over the cookie cups. If using the honey spoon ⅛ of a teaspoon over each. Remove from the muffin tin and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published May 2, 2016. Revised and Republished June 24, 2020.
Avram says
Recipe looks great. However, my mother is extremely sensitive to certain sweeteners, even stevia. So for the syrup, instead of the Joy Filled Eats Sweetener, can I use coconut sugar? If so, how much?
Taryn says
I think so but I haven't tested it. You can try using the same amount.
Tara says
Lebanese here, so was super excited for this recipe. Like others. Monkfruit didn’t work out well at all for the syrup, hardened and didn’t mix with nuts. Maybe just using agave nectar next time will help? Also, I had way more dough than needed for 24 servings and not enough nut mix. I’d say the dough could have made 3-4 extra servings.
Banandee says
Hello, If I am making this with all honey, should I use the same amount of honey for the Joy Filled Eats Sweetener, regular honey amount, still adding the water, lemon zest and cinnamon?
I am low carb, but my family isn't. I'm making this for Easter, so I don't mind having a bit more carbs on the holiday (especially natural sugar like honey). I will leave a real review once I have made these.
Taryn says
I would start with 1/4 cup honey. You can always make more syrup if you need to.
Jessica says
Can I just add a little honey to the syrup? Seems like that could distribute the flavor with less honey total...seems like same result 1 less step for me. Am I wrong? Also maybe use a little less for that hint of flavor? Just a thought 🤷♀️
Taryn says
Sure!
Milli says
I must have done something wrong. The sweetener was still grainy and didn't mix well with the pecans when I tried to drizzle it. it ended up being more like a topping so I had to take a toothpick and mix the pecans up into it. Maybe I cooked it too long? I did add a tiny bit of rose water and some cloves. The cookies however came out fantastic. I like the addition of the flax. Overall I love this recipe!
Taryn says
Which sweetener did you use? How long did you cook it for and at what temperature?
Milli says
I used lakanto monk fruit. I've just read that this one tends to be grainy when cooled and adding a pinch of xanthan gum should help.
I'm making this recipe again so I'll post a follow-up.
Miriah Baxter says
If you want to use honey in the recipe, do you replace your sweetener with it or just add the 1/8 teaspoon of honey on each piece?
Taryn says
Do you want to use all honey? If you don't care if they are low carb you can make the syrup with honey instead of my sweetener.
Louise says
Crust fell apart. Made the syrup exactly as described but it did not turn out as described. Will not make this again.
Taryn says
Hi Louise, Sorry this didn't work for you! Did you grease the muffin tin really well? Which sweetener did you use? What did the syrup look like after cooking? I'm happy to help you troubleshoot.
Krystle says
I love Baklava. These cookies taste just like it but were very easy to make.
Tara says
These are so darn cute and tasty!
Paige Stroud says
Could Truvia be used instead of your sweetner?
Thanks,
Paige Stroud
Taryn says
Yes, truvia should work in this recipe.
T Mann says
We love baklava in our house but can't make it since my husband is diabetic and on Me to diet ,but I tried this recipe and my husband said he likes it as well or better than regular baklava. Thank you for the recipe
Joyce says
Is there something that can be substituted for the flax?
Taryn says
You can use additional almond flour.
Ducks n a Row @SineaPies says
Taryn, does the non-Xylitol version of the sweetener work as well? I have a dog and we have the bad habit of giving her nibbles of our food. Cannot take a chance on having it in my food.
Sinea ♥
Taryn says
I have not tried but I think it would work.
Kiki says
Hmm, your ingredients say 1 tablespoon of water but the photo looks like it's about a cup of water. Can you clarify how much water you use to make the syrup? ½ cup of granular sweetener + 1 tbsp of water would barely make a paste!
Taryn says
It is one tablespoon of water. You can melt sweetener with nothing added. The photo shows the melted sweetener, not additional water.
Kiki says
Okay, never tried that before. Thanks!
Vera says
Hi, can I use stevia and/or erythritol instead of the sweetener you mentioned in the ingredients?
Taryn says
Erythritol would be fine.
Claudia says
Sounds perfect for goldilocks :o)
Claudia says
Are your pie crusts hard, soft, chewy ?
Taryn says
They are in between soft and hard, and in between chewy and crisp. It is similar to a regular pie crust.
Claudia says
I made baklavas with my nut iron press this year but the crusts were rather spongy. Would your pastry give me a nice crisp shell in the press ?
Taryn says
I've never used a nut iron press before so I'm not sure. Sorry!
Jessica says
I have these in the oven now. The smell is heavenly!
Taryn says
You have to come back and let me know what you think after you taste them 🙂
Hattie Hawkins says
Hi! I have been making ballava for years, and love it. I just made this recipe, and I think your amount of water or the simple syrup is too little. It turned into more of. Glaze than a syrup, and I used 3Tbs instead of the 1.
Thanks!
Hattie
Sue B. says
I was reading the THM post about your crackers & read "Baklava Cookies".... What?!!! NO WAY!!! I have been craving Baklava for about 6 years (I kid you not!) ever since I went wheat-free. I am so excited to try this recipe. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!